Murder charge filed in infant's death

A local woman has been charged with murder for allegedly leaving her infant son unattended in a car.

Sheryl Ann Jackson, 24, of Greenville was taken into custody Monday and arraigned Tuesday morning on one count of murder while committing a felony offense in connection with the death of Tytus Hoskins. Bond was set at $250,000.

Jackson is alleged to have left Hoskins unattended in a vehicle for more than two hours on Dec. 1, 2012, according to an indictment issued last month by the Hunt County grand jury.

The indictment, which was issued sealed pending Jackson’s arrest, accused Jackson of “intentionally or knowingly committing or attempting to commit an act clearly dangerous to human life” — namely leaving Hoskins unattended in the vehicle for more than two hours — and then, after seeking medical attention, not informing doctors for two days that the boy had been left in the vehicle. The indictment also alleged the incident was an act of family violence.

The Greenville Police Department reported the six-month old Hoskins began to succumb to exposure and the consequences of exposure on the day when the temperature rose to an unseasonably warm 81 degrees.

Jackson retrieved the child and sought medical attention, allegedly telling emergency personnel the child felt hot, but not informing them Hoskins had been left inside the vehicle. The boy was transported to the Hunt Regional Medical Center and then later by air ambulance to a Dallas hospital where he died.